Who said a compact could not make money 
Wayne Gerdes -
CleanMPG - April 1, 2011
2011 Chevrolet Cruze ECO - $18,425 to start and 59.2 mpg during our week with one.
GM always plays fast and loose with their numbers to accentuate the positive and I will correct them where I can from the detailed sales breakout… March ended a successful month and quarter for GM’s domestic sales as retail sales surged 26 percent for its four brands over 2010’s first quarter. With what GM is calling a fall off in incentive spending, dealers reported 206,621 total sales during March, an increase of 9.6% from March of 2010.
March’s retail sales increase was spurred by a 34-percent rise in passenger car retail sales, led by a 287 percent gain in retail sales of the Cruze over the junk Cobalt that it replaced!
March deliveries to fleets declined 1 percent and represented 27 percent of the company’s total sales – the ninth straight month that fleet sales comprised less than 30 percent of total sales.
For the first three months, total sales increased 26 percent to 592,545 units compared to a year earlier. As a result, each of GM’s brands – Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac – gained retail and total market share during the quarter.
In the first quarter, fleet sales represented 24 percent of the company’s total sales volume, compared to 30 percent in the first quarter of 2010.
GM’s Newest Vehicles Continue to Drive Retail Gains – up 54 Percent in March
Combined retail sales for vehicles launched since June 2009 – Chevrolet Equinox, Silverado HD, Cruze and Volt; Buick LaCrosse and Regal; GMC Sierra HD and Terrain; and Cadillac SRX, CTS Wagon and CTS Coupe – increased 54 percent during March and were up 74 percent for the first three months of the year. In reality however, the entire CTS lineup saw 3,904 vehicles. Good showing but worth mentioning as a highlight?
Passenger Cars
The Cruze is the real deal! Total GM passenger car sales improved 15 percent during March, led by the sale of 18,018 Cruzes. Retail sales of GM passenger cars rose 34 percent for the month. The Cruze, Chevrolet Camaro Convertible and Buick Regal all have achieved record retail sales since being launched. For the quarter, retail sales of GM’s passenger cars were up 49 percent, also led by the Cruze, up 203 percent.
Crossovers
The Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac brands each set March total and retail sales records for crossover sales during the month, driven by a 20 percent increase in combined retail sales by the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. The two also set March records for retail sales. For the quarter, retail sales of GM’s complete lineup of industry-leading crossovers were up 30 percent.
Pickups
The money makers… Total combined sales of Chevrolet Silverado and Avalanche, and GMC Sierra increased 11 percent in March, with retail sales also rising 11 percent versus a year ago. For the quarter, retail sales for GM’s full-size pickups rose 38 percent, while total sales improved to 130,866 units – a 31-percent increase.
Incentives
During March, purchase incentives declined on a per unit basis although that figure was not given.
Month-end dealer inventory in the United States stood at about 574,000 units, which is about 57,000 higher compared to February and about 149,000 higher than March 2010.
Brand Key Facts:
- Chevrolet dealers delivered 148,197 total vehicles in March, an 11-percent increase versus last year. Retail sales for Chevrolet were up 18 percent. Cruze retail sales were 287 percent higher than the compact car it replaced. Silverado retail sales rose 10 percent, while Equinox retail sales increased 18 percent.
- Buick reported 15,663 total sales, a 21-percent increase compared to March 2010. This includes a 24-percent rise in year-over-year retail sales, led by improving demand for the all-new Regal. This marks the 18th consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains for the brand.
- GMC reported total sales of 30,597, an 11-percent increase compared to the same month last year. This marks the 18th consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases. Retail sales were 11 percent higher than last year, driven by continued strong retail demand for the Terrain (up 26 percent) and Sierra (up 15 percent).
- Cadillac reported total sales of 12,164 for March – 5 percent higher than last March, with retail sales increasing 14 percent. February was the 14th consecutive month of year-over-year total and retail sales gains. CTS retail sales continued to set the pace for the brand, rising 51 percent, driven by strong demand for the all-new CTS Coupe.
- Fleet sales for GM’s four brands were 56,465 for the month, a 1-percent decrease for the month, with sales to rental fleets down 11 percent during the same period. Sales to commercial customers rose 1 percent for the month, the 12th consecutive month of commercial fleet sales gains. Fleet accounted for 27 percent of GM total sales during the month.
Darn it, I forgot to add that on the "Volt Watch", 608 vehicles were sold in March with 1,210 sold in total to date.
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